So Very Tired
by Erin Giles
Summary: A little post “A Day in the Death” fic. A small exchange between Jack & Ianto in the office later on in the evening when everyone else has gone home.


TITLE: So very tired

AUTHOR: Erin Giles

RATING: PG

DISCLAIMER: Just because I'm good on roofs like Jack doesn't mean I own them! They are the property of the BBC.

SUMMARY: A little post "A Day in the Death" fic. A small exchange between Jack & Ianto in the office later on in the evening when everyone else has gone home.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Was it just me or did Jack look absolutely exhausted at the end of "A Day in the Death"? Me commenting on that basically as well as some things Owen said to Ianto.

* * *

Jack started as a hand touched his shoulder, glasses clinking together as they were placed on the only free surface space on his desk. He blinked in the gloom as amber liquid swirled it's way into the crystal tumblers he had had since the late 1940's. He rubbed his hand across his face as the stopper was put back in the decanter and when he looked again strong and elegant fingers were holding the glass out to him.

Jack took the glass without question, taking a large gulp before resting it on his knee, leaning back in his chair and sighing. Ianto perched on the edge of his desk, his suit jacket absent now, waistcoat unbuttoned and tie hanging loosely round his neck.

"You look tired." Ianto's voice was soft in the blue glow of the hub as he sipped from his own glass.

"It's been a long week." Jack tried to force a smile onto his face but it didn't quite spread to his eyes. Ianto nodded sadly in agreement.

"Owen's still with us though," Ianto tried to sound comforting but he had barely been able to comfort Owen earlier in the day.

Jack shuddered slightly as Owen's words came back to haunt him, _You get to live forever, I get to die forever. _How was that in anyway fair?

"Still, we've at least got Gwen's wedding to look forward to." Ianto's false cheer made Jack let out a snort of laughter, grateful, for once, for the subject change.

"Not a fan of wedding's Ianto?" Jack questioned curiously, sure there was a story in there somewhere.

"It's not that, it's just," Ianto seemed to consider the question a moment longer before continuing, "Something always goes wrong at wedding's Jack, and lets just say I'm a bit more worried about what could go wrong at this one due to our line of work." Ianto replied, picking his words carefully.

"Don't let Gwen catch you saying that, she's only just managed to get the best man out on bail." Jack chuckled slightly, meeting Ianto's gaze for a long moment. "It'd be nice for something to be straightforward for once." Jack sighed almost wistfully. Ianto drained the last of the contents of his glass.

"Things will never be straightforward for us Jack." Ianto's words held more meaning than Jack was willing to admit. There was a long awkward silence before Ianto pulled himself to his feet, retrieving Jack's glass from him and taking them into one hand, to wash.

"Maybe you should get some sleep." Ianto's voice lulled Jack into closing his eyes as he felt lips ghost over his forehead. When he opened his eyes Ianto was shifting away reluctantly.

"Ianto," Jack's voice sounded exhausted to his own ears as his hand curled round the young Welshman's, "Stay tonight."

"Jack, you're exhausted, I don't think that,"

"I'm not talking about sex Ianto." Jack let out a frustrated sigh, "Shocking I know, but I want you to just stay, to just," Jack's eyes found Ianto's, "Please."

Ianto smiled sadly, nodding as he placed the tumblers back down on the desk. It suddenly didn't matter than Ianto still had the dishes to do, had Myfanwy to feed, had several other mundane things to attend to. They would wait until morning.

They lay under the sheets, body's pressed against each other, the thin fabric of underwear and t-shirts between them as they held on to each other as if they were lovers parted for far too long.

Owen was right, Ianto realised. He didn't have a life outside Torchwood. Torchwood was his life. It would also be his death. He felt silent tears wet upon the pillow beneath Jack's head as he became so very painfully aware of the fact that Jack was fed up of goodbye's; so very tired of being alone.

Ianto's arms tightened round Jack as he nuzzled closer to the man. Jack would live forever, but for now he had Ianto's life.


End file.
